Operations Manager (AI & Automation)

About the role

A fast-growing financial services business supporting online businesses across the US is hiring an Operations Manager in Cape Town, on a hybrid basis. The role takes ownership of how the business runs day to day, from systems and processes to cross-team handovers, reporting, automation and operational performance. It suits someone who enjoys getting into the detail, finding what slows a business down and fixing it, with a clear path towards Senior Operations Manager.

Key responsibilities

• Own and continuously improve day-to-day operational systems, processes and quality standards, and fix bottlenecks and manual work.
• Make operational decisions so work is delivered on time and to the required standard.
• Determine which performance metrics matter and build reporting and dashboards for leadership.
• Maintain accurate data and turn it into actionable insights, and lead cross-functional projects that improve the customer and client experience.
• Identify ownership gaps between teams and coordinate teams through new initiatives, launches and changes.
• Own the selection, implementation and adoption of operational tools, and use automation and AI to reduce manual work and errors.
• Build internal tools where off-the-shelf products are not the best fit, and work on the technology and automation roadmap with a 6-12 month view.
• Oversee office and facilities operations, and improve onboarding, retention and employee progression processes.

Required profile

• 3+ years of experience in an operations role, working closely with delivery teams and leadership.
• Experience leading people, teams or contractors.
• Strong track record of improving processes and solving operational problems, without needing constant direction.
• Nice to have: experience with BI tools (Looker, Looker Studio, Snowflake, Power BI), automation tools (Zapier, Make, Google Apps Script), project management platforms (Asana, Jira, ClickUp), B2B software or SaaS experience, and an analytics, engineering, business or finance background.

Required skills

• Working knowledge of SQL, able to pull and manipulate your own data.
• Experience with integrations, APIs and connecting different tools or systems.
• Genuine interest in using AI in daily work and willingness to become hands-on with GitHub, VS Code and Railway.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability, attention to detail and excellent written and verbal communication.

First 90 days: understand how the business works, fully own at least one operational area, deliver at least one tangible improvement, and feel comfortable with the company's AI and technology stack. Salary is approximately R55,000 per month depending on experience.